Document Type
Thesis
First Faculty Advisor
Robert Massoud
Keywords
Gender barriers; Factors of success; Female leaders; Industrial Discrepancies
Rights Management
CC-BY; CC-BY-SA; CC-BY-NC-SA
Abstract
The study aimed at discovering whether there is an industrial discrepancy in gender barriers and factors of success that women in management/leadership positions experience in their professional careers. The purpose of the research is to determine whether female leaders are experiencing higher levels of inequality in industries that are more so traditionally male-dominated than those who lead in industries are non-traditionally male-dominated. The study included all women who are in leadership positions, including those in lower levels, middle levels, and the highest levels of leadership in their company. A survey questionnaire, that consisted of (28) quantitative and qualitative questions was distributed to 215 female leaders from various industries. The study hypothesized that women in traditionally male-dominated industries (i.e. finance or engineering) face different gender barriers and have different factors of success than women in industries that are not as traditionally male-dominated (i.e. retail or education). The findings of the survey suggest that the hypothesis was not completely accurate. There were slight discrepancies that indicated female leaders of companies in traditionally male-dominated industries are more likely to face a greater level of gender barriers. However, the findings indicate that gender bias is largely prevalent regardless of the industry that a woman leads in and they must utilize similar factors of success to overcome those barriers.
